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    Pea Ridge

    National Military Park Arkansas

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Stop 9:  Confederate Artillery-Day 2

Artillery at Stop 9

Virginia Dyer

On the morning of March 8, Van Dorn positioned three of his artillery batteries on either side of the Telegraph Road and prepared to continue the offensive. At 8:00 a.m., a fierce artillery duel began, opening the 2nd day's fight.

The Confederate artillery fire quickly began to fall off though. During the night, Van Dorn had failed to order his wagons forward and now, his artillery was nearly out of ammunition.

The Confederate artillery was driven from the field by a concentrated fire from the Federal artillery with severe losses.

 

"Such an incessant booming of cannon and bursting of shells I had never heard. Large trees were falling all around us, making a man almost as nervous as it would to submit to the extraction of a tooth by some of our modern dentists."

Isaac V. Smith
3rd Missouri Infantry
1st Missouri Brigade

 
Three artillery pieces representing Tull's Missouri Artillery facing the second Federal position.

Did You Know?

General Earl Van Dorn, of the Confederate army

When Confederate General Van Dorn heard news that Curtis pushed Price out of Missouri, he set out to take personal charge of an attack on Curtis, along with Price and McCulloch. He arrived at Price’s headquarters in an ambulance, braving a severe illness resulting from falling into an icy stream.